It is my all time favorite movie quote. I had it as my outgoing message on my answering machine (remember answering machines?), until I got too many complaints that it was salacious. Betty Joan Perske was born on this day in 1924… & what a classy broad little Betty turned out to be. She began her career as a model, gracing the cover of Harper's Bazaar at age 19, before moving on to acting. Lauren Bacall landed a starring role in To Have & Have Not (1944) opposite Humphrey Bogart. The pair married a year later, & went on to make five films (and two children) together, including The Big Sleep (1946) & Key Largo (1948). She was with him until his death in 1957. Her movie career slowed down in the 1960s & 1970, & she turned to Broadway, winning Tony Awards for her roles in Applause (1970) & Woman of the Year (1981). She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Barbra Streisand's mother in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She was also married to actor Jason Robards (1961–69) & is the mother of actor Sam Robards.
A couple pf years ago, her granddaughter insisted that she watch the movie- Twilight, declaring it the greatest vampire film of all time. Bacall: "After the 'film' was over, I wanted to smack her across her head with my shoe, but I do not want a book called Grannie Dearest written on me when I die, so instead I gave her a DVD of Murnau's 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu & told her, now that's a vampire film!"
When I was living in NYC in the 1970s, I followed her for 14 blocks, but couldn't bring myself to say something to her. Just as I got the nerve, she stopped in front of The Russian Tea Room, where she greeted Liza Minnelli with a kiss & they went inside. A truly gay moment.
"I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that."
